| Meaning of Community Development | | | | Community participation is the underlying principle |
| Community Development has been both an | | | | of community development. It means involving |
| explicit and implicit goal of community people, | | | | the community at all stages of the project |
| aiming to achieve, through collective effort, a | | | | including vital decision making right from the |
| better life. In the 18th century, the work of the | | | | pre-planning and planning stages through all phases |
| early socialist thinker Robert Owen (1771-1851) | | | | of implementation, monitoring, evaluation and |
| sought through Community Planning to create the | | | | post-project sustenance. The local community and |
| perfect community. The term ‘Community | | | | the individual sections must have a major say in |
| Development', often abbreviated as CD, and | | | | the community development programme. For this, |
| informally called community building, is a broad | | | | potential indigenous leadership in local area needs |
| term applied to the practices and academic | | | | to be identified and developed, which will initiate |
| disciplines of civic leaders and activists, thereby | | | | change and development among the people. |
| involving citizens and professionals to improve | | | | The nature of slum life makes it doubtful whether |
| various aspects of local communities. It also seeks | | | | people can improve their patterns of life and their |
| to empower individuals and groups by providing | | | | surrounding environment without the aid and |
| them with the necessary skills to effect a change | | | | stimulation of government and other agencies. As |
| in their own communities. The government | | | | in rural community development, the urban |
| authorities in order to improve the economic, | | | | citizen's efforts require some financial help and |
| social and cultural conditions of communities, | | | | technical assistance in areas like sanitation, public |
| integrate them into the life of the nation and | | | | health, education and recreation. |
| enable them to contribute fully to national | | | | In UCD, every functionary becomes a significant |
| progress (United Nations department of | | | | agent in the complex process of individual and |
| Economics and Social Affairs, 1960:1).This complex | | | | group development. The community organizer has |
| process comprises two essential elements, | | | | to work in a way to become a catalytic agent to |
| namely, participation of the people themselves in | | | | move the community or its leaders into concrete |
| an effort to improve their standards of living with | | | | action for the improvement of their environmental |
| as much reliance as possible on their own initiative; | | | | conditions and personal and social mode of life. |
| and the provisions of technical and other services | | | | The supervisor or the project officer plays a |
| in ways that encourage initiative, self-help and | | | | similar role both with regard to the community |
| mutual help. | | | | organizers and the community. |
| Meaning of Urban Community Development | | | | Urban Basic Services and its components |
| Community Development Exchange defines | | | | In 1981, the community development |
| community development as "The process of | | | | programmes were merged into a new service |
| developing active and sustainable communities | | | | called Urban Basic Services (UBS). The principal |
| based on social justice and mutual respect. It is | | | | aim of this programme is to improve and upgrade |
| about influencing power structures to remove the | | | | the quality of life of the most vulnerable sections |
| barriers that prevent people from participating in | | | | of the population - the women and children who |
| the issues that affect their lives." Community | | | | tend to get neglected in the urban setting. The |
| Development includes both rural and urban | | | | UBS programme operates on the basis of six |
| development. But my area of concern is to | | | | guiding principles: community participation, |
| discuss the ‘Urban Community Development' | | | | convergence, child and mother focus, cost |
| (UCD) which has emerged as one of the | | | | effectiveness, coverage and continuity. |
| strategies of intervention to solve some of the | | | | The major components of the UBS programme |
| problems of the city in general and of the | | | | include primary health care services, early |
| depressed areas in particular. UCD in India derives | | | | childhood learning facilities, women's education, |
| its origin from the rural community development | | | | water supply, sanitation, etc. It provides for the |
| programmes which commenced on 2nd October, | | | | preparation of plans at three levels: districts, |
| 1952. In 1958, following the line of its | | | | towns and communities. The functionaries involved |
| commencement, the first pilot project under UCD | | | | in the implementation of the programme are the |
| begun in Delhi. This was followed by another | | | | coordinators at the district level, project officers |
| project in Ahmedabad in 1960 and a third in | | | | at the town level and community organizers at |
| Baroda in 1965.The first two were assisted by | | | | the community level. Since the programme rests |
| the Ford Foundation while the last was launched | | | | on the community participation, the help of |
| with the help of the American Friends Committee. | | | | community volunteers is envisaged at the |
| Key elements of UCD | | | | grassroots level to facilitate the participatory |
| The ingredients of an UCD programme are the | | | | process. |
| people and their problems, the government and | | | | The National Commission on urbanisation, set up |
| voluntary resources available to stimulate self-help, | | | | by the Government of India, recommended |
| and urban community organisers to locate and | | | | universalisation of UBS activities to cover the |
| develop indigenous leaders and to translate their | | | | whole of urban India. About 600 projects are |
| problems in such a way that can be adequately | | | | recommended to cover the entire population of |
| interpreted by government and private agencies. | | | | urban poor. Although urban development is in the |
| Community development assumes the existence | | | | State List of the Constitution of India, there are |
| of people's initiative in one form or the other, | | | | organisations of the government that deal with |
| which can be developed to alter the environment. | | | | the subject of urban planning and development. |
| The approach to the problems of the city slums | | | | The approach to urban development has been |
| through UCD involves the following | | | | piecemeal and desultory. Even schemes termed |
| elements:a) Strengthening of group | | | | as ‘integrated' were focused only on few |
| interrelationships;b) Encouragement and | | | | towns and little attempt was made to integrate |
| stimulation of self-help through the initiative of the | | | | them with the overall development plan for the |
| individuals in the community;c) Stimulation | | | | city or the region. |
| by outside agencies when self-help is | | | | The major weakness of the system is the |
| lacking;d) Identification and development of | | | | inadequacy of the citizen's participation through |
| local leadership;e) Development of civic | | | | organised voluntary efforts. UBS is a welcome |
| consciousness and acceptance of civic | | | | step in this field of development based on the |
| responsibility;f) Use of professional and | | | | principle of people's participation and self-help. This |
| technical assistance to support the efforts of the | | | | is seen as an effective instrument to reach out, |
| people involved; andg) Coordination of city | | | | to organise, to deliver services and finally to |
| services to meet neighbourhood needs and | | | | integrate low-income communities with the |
| problems. | | | | mainstream city life. |
| Principle of UCD | | | | |